Browns add to roster

The Browns were awarded three players from waivers, the team announced Sunday evening.

The Cleveland Browns today were awarded the following players off waivers: quarterback Thaddeus Lewis (St. Louis), linebacker Quinton Spears (Miami) and defensive lineman Emmanuel Stephens (Atlanta). To make room on their roster for the three, the team waived defensive lineman Auston English and linebacker Benjamin Jacobs, and terminated the contract of defensive lineman Derreck Robinson.

Also on Sunday, the team signed the following six players to its practice squad. All six were waived by the Browns on Saturday: offensive linemen Dominic Alford and Jarrod Shaw, fullback Tyler Clutts, running back Quinn Porter, defensive lineman Brian Sanford and wide receiver Rod Windsor.

Lewis signed with the Rams as an undrafted college free agent in 2010. He was on the team’s 53-man roster for the season-opener last year before spending the final 14 weeks on the practice squad. In preseason with St. Louis in 2010, Lewis completed 22 of 28 passes (78.6%) for 255 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a rating of 113.6. This year he hit on 23 of 32 (71.9%) for 266 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, and a rating of 96.6. Lewis was a four-year letterman at Duke (2006-09) where he started all four years and completed 877 of 1,510 passes for 10,065 yards with 67 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. He set school career records for passing yards and touchdowns. He also rushed for 621 yards and nine touchdowns. He had his best season as a senior when he connected on 274 of 449 passes for 3,330 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection that year and was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award. The 6-2, 200-pound Lewis attended Hialeah-Miami Lakes (Fla.) High School. He was born on November 19, 1987.

Spears signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted college free agent this year. He registered a sack with the team in the preseason. The 6-4, 234-pounder began his collegiate career at Prairie View A&M as a walk-on wide receiver before being converted to defensive end. As a senior, he was a first-team All-SWAC selection when he tallied 70 tackles, nine stops for loss, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and three blocked kicks. He was a second-team all-conference choice as a junior when he posted 39 tackles, 10.5 stops for loss and five sacks. Born on May 11, 1988, he attended Montgomery (Texas) High School.

Stephens signed with Atlanta as an undrafted college free agent in 2010 and spent all of his rookie season on the Falcons’ practice squad. The 6-3, 255-pounder was a two-year letterman at the University of Mississippi (2008-09) after transferring from Blinn Community College. In two years at Ole Miss, Stephens recorded 40 tackles, 13 stops for loss and 6.5 sacks, including a team-high 5.5 as a senior. He added two forced fumbles in his career. Born on February 17, 1987, Stephens is a native of Houston, Texas where he attended Waltrip High School.